2024 municipal school board primary candidate

Incumbent Maryville Board of Education member Nick Black is running to retain his seat on the school board in the Republican primary Aug 1. Fellow incumbent school board member Candy Morgan, also a Republican, is likewise seeking reelection to her seat.

Answers were trimmed when responses exceeded length limits.

Maryville City Schools Board of Education

Name: Nick Black

Age: 43

Political affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Attorney

Office sought: Maryville City Schools Board of Education

Biographical info: I am a product of Maryville City Schools. I attended Fort Craig, Maryville Middle, and Maryville High. Football took me to Clemson University where I earned a B.A. in Communication and a Master of Business Administration. After Clemson I got married and then entered law school at the University of Tennessee. I have three children. I began practicing law in Blount County after graduating from law school. I have twice been elected to the Maryville City Schools Board of Education. After re-election in 2020 I was chosen by the Board to be Chairman, and currently serve as the Vice-Chair.

What are your thoughts on school vouchers: I oppose school vouchers. Results in other states that have experimented with vouchers do not show positive results in student achievement. As a conservative, I do not believe in sending tax funds to private, often for-profit, education institutions. Most vouchers go to families with students already enrolled in private schools. This isn’t the narrative being sold by pro-voucher legislators. I would urge our legislators to focus on improving efficiency and excellence. I’m not afraid of the competition argument voucher proponents point to. Given a level playing field, Maryville, and the other great systems in our county, can compete with anybody.

What resources/programs should BCS be focused on in terms of funding: MCS should focus on promoting student achievement and producing ready graduates. I want to see MCS attract and retain the best teachers, provide a safe learning environment for students, procure curriculum and technology that leads to excellent academic achievement, and maintain a sound capital investment plan for our facilities. I’m proud that we have one of the most conservative ratios of student to district administration levels in the state, that we are very competitive in teacher pay, and that our general purpose fund remains robust. We have been able to save for the future, and invest as needs have arisen.

What are your thoughts on utilizing AI in a learning environment: AI has the capacity to benefit our students and our teachers in the learning environment. However, it is imperative schools take the time to develop and and provide the proper guidance and training to students and staff to ensure this tool is utilized in the most productive way possible. For MCS, this will be an extension and expansion of the iReach User Guide and Digital Citizenship Guide. As with all technology tools, there are merits and drawbacks to every tool that require mindful and proactive preparation for implementation to bring value to the learning experience.

What role do you think parents have in the education system and how involved should they be: Our parents are one of the district’s best assets. Students with highly involved parents have better attendance, behavior and achievement. This relationship works best when parents partner with schools and teachers. I want parents to know exactly what our teachers are teaching, to have any questions they might have be answered, and to have their voices heard if they have questions or issues. A parent’s role in our schools goes beyond reviewing assignments at the dinner table. I love to see other parents volunteering in classrooms, helping out at special events, and in the stands at concerts and games.

What are your thoughts on Tennessee’s 3rd grade retention law: I am a huge advocate for ensuring all students receive rigorous and exemplary literacy instruction to develop reading competencies, instill the love of reading, and provide pathways for a successful future. I am against making a promotion or retention decision on the outcomes of one isolated assessment. I believe promotion and retention should be based on multi-metrics for each individual student based on the best timeline for that child. I want our legislators to trust our teachers and parents to make decisions here locally.